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Monday, May 01, 2006

On Brothers

My older brother is here from western Nebraska for the week to do some job training. Last night, all three of us siblings - me, my younger brother, and my older brother - went over to my mom's house for supper. And it was yum-a-licious. Fried chicken, mashed potatos, gravy, sweet corn, and of course, sugar free chocolate pudding. Yeah, so I blew my diet yesterday, but it was only one day. I think I'll survive.

After supper, we sat around and talked about growing up and all the different things we used to do. When we'd play king of the mountain on the front steps, I'd always be the one to get shoved off. And then there was the time we were playing king of the mountain on a huge snow pile. I ran off the "mountain" and right into an electric fence. It was quite a jolt, especially since I was wet from the snow. My older brother and I used to play motorcycles. We'd get the t.v. trays out, put on some cool sunglasses, motorcycle helmets, sit on the couch, and we'd "drive" off. My younger brother and I would frequently put the baby kitties into my doll stroller and walk around the farm, "traveling" to far and distant lands. We'd then stop at the "inn" (our house) and my mom, the "innkeeper" would give us lunch. :-)

I've found that growing up with two brothers has prepared me for dealing with men in this world. In fact, I've always had more male friends than female. I've also not been jittery about going out and doing hard labor, like scooping ditches or chopping weeds out of the bean field. Granted, I didn't want to do those things, but when you grow up on a farm, you just gotta pitch in or nothing will get done.

My brothers used to beg and plead with me to play baseball in the front yard during the summer time, but more often than not, I waved them off and kept my nose buried in my book - usually Nancy Drew. :-) But I did my fair share of playing with them, and I still remember how we'd play with the plastic bat and ball, leave "ghosties" on first and second, and have to chase the ball into the cow corrals sometimes.

Through the years, I think we've only grown closer. We've had our share of sibling fights, but I don't think I've ever told my brothers that I hated them and that I never wanted to see them again. We just didn't feel that way. Granted, we got into screaming or yelling matches, but it would all blow over and everything would be ok. We have a loyalty to one another that has only been strengthened through the years.

Even though my marriage has been very difficult the past few months, they've both given me tons of support. In fact, we always try to be there for one another. I feel so very blessed to have them in my life.

My older brother and I are only a year and three days apart. My Mom said we were always more like twins because we had a way of communicating that went beyond words. To this day, there is no one else I prefer to be around. There is a sense of solidity to being with him. We were nearly inseparable for the first 4 years of my life before he went off to school and once we both joined, we were inseparable again. His friends were my friends and thanks to him, each of them treated me with a healthy dose of respect. I think having such a positive male influence my whole life has made me demand it from others. I was never one to take being treated with disrespect. My brother is one of those guys who make you believe real heroes exist.

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